The subject matter of the present invention relates to a software system adapted to be stored in a computer system, such as a personal computer, for providing automatic drill string design based on wellbore geometry and trajectory requirements.
Minimizing wellbore costs and associated risks requires wellbore construction planning techniques that account for the interdependencies involved in the wellbore design. The inherent difficulty is that most design processes and systems exist as independent tools used for individual tasks by the various disciplines involved in the planning process. In an environment where increasingly difficult wells of higher value are being drilled with fewer resources, there is now, more than ever, a need for a rapid well-planning, cost, and risk assessment tool.
This specification discloses a software system representing an automated process adapted for integrating both a wellbore construction planning workflow and accounting for process interdependencies. The automated process is based on a drilling simulator, the process representing a highly interactive process which is encompassed in a software system that: (1) allows well construction practices to be tightly linked to geological and geomechanical models, (2) enables asset teams to plan realistic well trajectories by automatically generating cost estimates with a risk assessment, thereby allowing quick screening and economic evaluation of prospects, (3) enables asset teams to quantify the value of additional information by providing insight into the business impact of project uncertainties, (4) reduces the time required for drilling engineers to assess risks and create probabilistic time and cost estimates faithful to an engineered well design, (5) permits drilling engineers to immediately assess the business impact and associated risks of applying new technologies, new procedures, or different approaches to a well design. Discussion of these points illustrate the application of the workflow and verify the value, speed, and accuracy of this integrated well planning and decision-support tool.
Designing a drillstring is not terribly complex, but is very tedious. The sheer number of components, methods, and calculations required to ensure the mechanical suitability of stacking one component on top of another component is quite cumbersome. Add to this fact that a different drillstring is created for every hole section and often every different bit run in the drilling of a well and the amount of work involved can be large and prone to human error.